MELBOURNE'S coaches knew Trent Rivers had another level to reach.

At the end of his third AFL season last year, after 52 games with the Demons including their famous 2021 premiership win, Melbourne threw it to Rivers to take another jump.

At his exit meeting following Melbourne's semi-final loss, the damaging, tough half-back was given strong feedback on how to get his break in the right position to succeed.

"They were pretty stern on me. The club knew what kind of player I could be and where I could get to and obviously I was still pretty young and a little bit immature at times. I've matured over that off-season break," Rivers told AFL.com.au.

"It just came off the back of starting the off-season right and getting my pre-season right with no injuries, no niggles, and I was just able to have a really good run at it. I came out and hit the ground running in round one and the guys around me enabled me to play my game.

"They knew what they could get out of me. It was just a matter of me getting it out of myself. I think I've been able to do that this year."

Everyone at Melbourne is now aware of Rivers' importance, with the 22-year-old a key part of the Dees' hopes of beating Collingwood in Thursday night's massive qualifying final.

Rivers has played every game this year, averaging a career-best 20 disposals and nearly four rebound-50s a game. He's also setting personal bests for intercept marks, intercept possessions, score involvements, metres gained, contested and uncontested possessions and AFL Player Ratings.

After a quick introduction to the top level, including playing in a Grand Final win in just his 34th game and second season, Rivers has risen in responsibility.

"I've definitely matured in the way I play my footy. I know what I need to do for the team and I'm able to go out and execute and the guys around me put me in the right positions and still guide me. I've got some great leaders to lean upon in that aspect," he said.

Rivers has been trusted on a range of opponents but is also being thrust into new roles, including what he calls "snippets" of midfield time this season. He has made moments his own, too, including a desperate, tough play late in Melbourne's last-gasp win over Brisbane that included a pivotal win across half-back where he beat three Lions players to the ball, bounced off a tackle and sent the ball inside the Dees' forward line before Jake Melksham's winning goal.

His philosophy is uncomplicated for those times when the ball is there to win.

"Honestly not much goes through my head sometimes," he said. "I just go out and play footy and I think that's when I play my best – when I'm not thinking about trying to do too much. The ball is there so it's see ball, get ball and it all panned out for me."

The numbers say there is a little more science to his decision-making.

Champion Data shows why the Demons want the ball in his hands – they have retained it from 64 per cent of his kicks, ranked No.1 of the top-10 disposal winners at the club. He has launched 36 scoring chains – fourth at the Demons behind superstar trio Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver and Max Gawn – as well as being rated inside the top-20 competition wide for short kick ratings.

He has won 48 per cent of the one-on-one contests he's defended, which ranks him second behind Greater Western Sydney's star backman Sam Taylor of the 67 players who have defended at least 20 contests.

Rivers, who signed a four-year contract extension this year through to the end of 2027, said he had watched an upcoming opponent closely to help get his game up a notch.

"I definitely look at some of the half-backs and the way they move and try to model my game off how some of them work," he said.

"Brayden Maynard – obviously we're coming up against him – but at the end of last year he was one that I looked at and was like 'I wanna play like him', you know what you're going to get from him so that's what I wanted my teammates to see me as."

Rivers' teammates already had a fair idea of the player alongside them. After being another of Melbourne's big recruiting hits in the second round – he was pick No.32 in 2019 after the Dees had grabbed Luke Jackson and Kysaiah Pickett with early picks – he played nine games in his debut 2020 season before playing every one in the premiership campaign the following season.

It culminated in the flag win over the Western Bulldogs, with Rivers one of two West Australian Demons to claim the premiership on home turf at Optus Stadium. He still gets regular reminders of that premiership, but knows what the impact of another successful September would be. 

"When you get the people come up to you in the shops saying 'Thank you', that's when you notice it mainly when you sit back and realise the impact you have on people. It's not every day but it's definitely every now and then," he said.

"It still has to be the best day of my life. I got about 30 tickets to the game because nobody else could fly in. To have my family and all my of them in the rooms after the game was the best thing ever and to celebrate with them was unbelievable. Obviously we're looking to go back and do it again this year in Melbourne but to do it that year was definitely a highlight.

"We've found momentum at the right time of the year and we're in a really strong position to push this finals series."